


A Matter of Duty

by cxe128



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Bond Between Sisters, F/M, Forbidden Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:40:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23739232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cxe128/pseuds/cxe128
Summary: After the war, Downton Abbey is in danger of financial ruin. Robert comes up with a seemingly perfect plan: Sybil will marry the wealthy yet insufferable Larry Grey to save the estate. But there is one problem: Sybil does not love Larry — instead she is in love with Tom Branson, the socialist Irish chauffeur. AU.
Relationships: Cora Crawley/Robert Crawley, Edith Crawley/Anthony Strallan, Isobel Crawley/Richard "Dickie" Grey, Mary Crawley/Matthew Crawley, Sybil Crawley/Larry Grey, Tom Branson/Sybil Crawley
Kudos: 9





	1. The Proposition

**Author's Note:**

> The Sybil and Tom storylines for season 2 episodes 7-8 and the Christmas special never occurred for the purposes of this story, but the storylines that don't concern them have (like Matthew proposing to Mary).

"What? Have you all gone insane?" Sybil Crawley, usually composed and ladylike, hollered at her family.

Robert had just informed his youngest - and, although he wouldn't admit it, his favorite - daughter that she was going to marry Larry Grey, the son of a wealthy baron. He had just broken the news to his entire family that due to his dubious pre-war investments in a Canadian railroad company, they were in danger of going bankrupt. Cora's fortune, the crutch that the family had leaned on in order to support the estate, was almost completely decimated. That would mean the Crawleys would have to leave Downton Abbey - they would have to give up their home, their work, and their entire luxurious lifestyle.

And Robert was not about to let that happen. He had given too much of himself to Downton — he could not bear to fail. He was the one who had stupidly gotten them into this situation, so he would be the one to solve it. The only viable solution that Robert and a devastated Cora had brainstormed was that one of their three daughters would be the one to selflessly be the savior of the estate through her marriage to a wealthy gentleman. And so they settled on the beautiful and vivacious Sybil.

To Robert the plan was perfection.

But to Sybil it was far from that.

"I refuse to marry a man I completely and utterly loathe!" she cried, and flung herself at her mother. "Mama, please say that you didn't agree to this!"

"Sybil, do try to calm yourself," Cora drawled, calmly patting her youngest daughter's hand. "Your father and I have reasons for this, I promise you."

"So you did know!" Sybil exclaimed. She felt betrayed by her own family, the people who were supposed to always stick up for her. How could they subject her to this? If only they knew that she did not, in fact, have feelings for Larry — instead, she was in love with a man that she could never hope to be with.

She was in love with Tom Branson. The bold Irish chauffeur, a man her father employed. And her best friend in the world, a man who understood her better than anyone — even her older sister Mary.

Being with Tom was a naïve teenager's fantasy, something she would achieve only if her life was a romance novel. In all likelihood, she expected to be married off to one wealthy noble or another.

But Sybil hadn't expected to be forced to marry the prick Larry Grey. He had always been so cocky and prejudiced and had an obsession with her that bordered on unhealthy. And he didn't even know the true version of her, the rebellious suffragette that Tom knew and loved.

It was so unfair that she would have to sacrifice her own happiness for the good of the Crawley name. Sybil voiced this thought. "Why couldn't Edith or Mary do this?"

"Darling, don't be ridiculous," Mary scoffed. "I'm engaged to Matthew — I could not exactly wed another man." "Besides, although Matthew is the heir to Downton, he is still a middle-class solicitor. He does not have any substantial amount of money that could save Downton," Robert put in.

"That's all fair, but what about Edith?" Sybil questioned. She hated to admit it, but she was starting to see the rationality in her parent's decision.

"Edith simply has no prospects," Mary stated bluntly. Edith immediately reddened and Cora sighed. But she knew in her heart that Edith was virtually a frumpy old maid and was used to Mary's cutting barbs about it.

"Besides, I have Sir Antony Strallan," Edith interjected. "Ha, that old codger?" Mary smirked, raising her perfect dark eyebrows. "You'll be lucky if he doesn't drop dead before he proposes to you!" Edith glared at her older sister again.

"And Larry has often confided his desire to marry you to your father", Cora added. Sybil sat up straight, shocked and disgusted by this news. "And you never told me this?" "I assumed that he had told you and that you rejected him, so I didn't push the matter," Robert defended his decision. "But now that we are desperate…"

Sybil sighed. "I suppose I see your line of reasoning, Papa, but that doesn't mean I am going to do as you say. Marrying for money rather than love does not align with my principles."

"Marrying for love only happens in salacious romance plays written by Shakespeare," Violet commented wryly. "And then the two lovers die by committing suicide."

Robert looked outraged as he stood up and clenched his glass of Scotch tightly. "I remind you, daughter, that I married your mother for her money to save the estate. Duty will always come before personal matters of the heart. It is just our way of life — Granny married your grandfather at a point when he was a stranger to her. We sacrificed marriage for love so that you and your sisters could have the life that you do." "And we couldn't be happier," Cora said, looking lovingly up at her husband.

Maybe that was true, but Sybil's parents and her grandmother were all good people. They were nothing like Larry was. Sybil shuddered at the thought of marrying him and felt a sudden feeling of dread creep into her stomach.

If she was Mrs. Larry Grey, she would never be free to be the woman that she was.

And then there was Tom. She knew that he loved her (as he had boldly told her many times) but she had never confessed that she loved him. She had been too scared to tell him, afraid to act on her feelings In case it led to trouble or scandal for her. But now it was too late — he would never know and the chances of her being with him were even slimmer than they had been a few days ago.

But at the same time, she felt compelled to do her part to save the home and the family that she loved.

"What do you think?" Robert asked, fully expecting his daughter to profusely refuse his proposition.

"I think I'm going to go for a walk," Sybil replied crisply and turned to leave.

She had a certain Irish chauffeur that she wanted to talk to.


	2. The Lady and the Chauffeur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sybil has an encounter in the garage with a certain chauffeur...

Sybil entered the chauffeur’s garage hesitantly, unsure of what she was going to say to Tom. She wasn’t sure whether to approach him as a friend…or as something more.

The sight she saw when she leaned in the doorway was far different from the sight she expected to see. 

Tom was standing there polishing the Renault with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his toned forearms. He was singing an Irish ballad and he had the most beautiful, clear voice that Sybil had ever heard. 

“In Dublin's fair city  
Where the girls are so pretty  
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone  
As she wheeled her wheelbarrow  
Through the streets broad and narrow  
Crying ‘cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh’”

Sybil blushed at the sight and her imagination trailed off for a minute. This could be her life if she was Mrs. Branson, coming home from nursing to the sight of her handsome husband working on cars and singing to her. This could be her life if she had taken a real risk for once in her life rather than just talking about it. 

She took a deep breath and entered the garage. “Good evening, Branson.” Startled, Tom stood up straight as protocol dictated at the appearance of his superior. God, Sybil hated the formalities that separated them. “Milady. How can I help you?” he greeted her.

“I just found out some news and I thought that I should share it with you — as a friend would,” Sybil said uncertainly. Tom looked at her and stopped polishing the car. “It seems that Mama and Papa expect me to marry a noble that they have found.”

“What?” Tom looked furious, his blue eyes boring into the blue of Sybil’s own eyes. “I don’t suppose you said yes?”

Sybil noted the tone of desparate hope in his voice and again wistfully thought of what could have been with him. “Well, it’s all quite complicated.” She let out a breath. “Because the estate is in danger of financial ruin, and Mama and Papa were hoping I could save it through marriage.”

“And who did they ‘select’ for you to throw away your life with?” Tom mocked, clearly hurt by what Sybil was telling him. 

“Larry Grey, the son of Mary’s wealthy godfather, Lord Merton. Except he’s a despicable, prejudiced bully and I don’t want to marry him.” 

“But let me guess, you are still going to marry a man that you despise and give up your own freedom - your own beliefs - just to save a dying institution run by a pair of foolish poshes?” Tom said angrily. 

“Don’t you dare talk about my family that way, Branson!” Sybil protested indignantly, her tone reminding Tom that he was the chauffeur and she gave the orders. “My parents are wonderful people! Anyway, Mama and Papa had an arranged marriage and now they love each other. This is just our way.” 

“You sound just as if you’ve taken the words from their mouths. Your kind really is better at hiding their feelings than us,” Tom fired back at her, well aware that he was pushing the boundaries of the servant-master relationship. 

“But you don’t understand! I must do what is best for everyone, Branson! I can’t just selfishly refuse their proposition just so that I can have the life I have always dreamed of while they sit around at the county poorhouse!” Sybil protested.

“God, Sybil - that is, milady - I always expected you to be better than this,” Tom said in a low voice, disappointed. “I’ve told you and told you how I feel about you and you come breaking my heart.” 

Sybil noticed a single tear fall down Tom’s cheeks and she felt horrible for treating him this way. “You really don’t know me, do you?” Sybil said, shocked. “The real reason I’ve been opposed to this dreadful arranged marriage is because I am in love with you, Tom Branson!”

She turned to leave, ashamed of herself for baring her feelings to Tom. What if one of the other servants found out? Or Tom no longer felt the same way? But then she felt the pressure of a warm set of fingers on her waist, stopping her from leaving. Sybil turned towards Tom. Their faces were so close together, almost touching. 

And then Tom closed the distance between them and kissed her full on the lips.

Sybil had always wondered how it would feel like to be kissed by a man. But this kiss completely defied all of her expectations — kissing Tom was passion and innocence at the same time, a blend of youth and growing up, a mix of longing and satisfaction. She instinctively ran her fingers through his sandy-blond hair as he deepened the kiss.

Sybil had never quite felt like she belonged anywhere in her entire life, but now she did. And she was surer than ever that she belonged with Tom Branson.

“Oh my darling,” Tom said when they finally broke apart. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” 

“You’re right, we are good at hiding our feelings,” Sybil chuckled. 

“But I always could tell that you loved me,” Tom murmured. “I was just waiting for you to say the words.“ 

“I was too scared of what loving you might mean, Tom,” Sybil admitted. They had so easily slipped into the rhythm of calling each other by their first names. “I wasn’t ready yet to admit it, I wasn’t ready to leave my family.” 

“But now it’s too late for you to leave them,” Tom realized. 

“I know, this is such a mess,” she sighed sadly, and began to cry a little. She was exhausted from the day and weary from the expectations put upon her by society and by her parents. 

“I didn’t mean to make you cry, my darling,” Tom said as he enfolded Sybil in his strong arms. 

“It’s not you - it’s everyone else,” Sybil cried. “I can’t always please everyone, but now I have to.” 

“Sybil, what is going to happen to us?” 

“I’m not quite sure,” Sybil admitted sadly. “But I don’t want to ever give you up, Tom Branson.” And with that, she kissed him again. 

But when they broke apart from the kiss Sybil noticed something.

It was Mary. She was standing outside the garage and looking in at the sight of her youngest sister and the chauffeur embracing. And Sybil wondered with growing dread how long Mary had been standing there.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is already on ff.net, but I just got an account here.


End file.
